FEMA Policies

Yes. FEMA decides which labor costs are eligible based on the written labor policy you had in place before the disaster. If your policy doesn’t meet FEMA’s three conditions, FEMA pays only your standard, uniformly applied pay rates.

PAPPG Version 5 serves as the definitive regulatory guide for FEMA Public Assistance, outlining eligibility, procedures, and compliance standards. The framework includes: Chapters 1-4 covering declarations and eligibility, Chapters 5-9 addressing damage and cost eligibility, and Appendices for codes and mitigation. Key updates include DRRA Section 1206 on building codes, Section 1215 on management costs, and enhanced code requirements under Section 1235(b). This guide is the essential reference for PA compliance. Access the full policy framework for more details.

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Explains limited assistance for governmental entities to restore emergency-services access over private roads and bridges, including required legal permissions.

Explains fixed-cost offers, project formulation, cost estimates, funding flexibility, and excess-fund requirements for covered USVI permanent-work alternative procedures.

Defines the special authority for restoring specified disaster-damaged critical-service facilities or systems to industry standards in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Summarizes changes to federal procurement standards and explains how requirements differ among states, territories, Indian Tribes, local governments, and nonprofits.

Guides FEMA grant recipients and subrecipients understand which federal contract provisions are required under 2 C.F.R. § 200.327, Appendix II to Part 200. Includes sample language and FEMA-recommended contract provisions.

Summarizes the 2025 guide's revisions, including a unified PDA process, initial assessments, joint assessments, and Tribal Nation considerations.

Defines the national framework for collecting, validating, quantifying, and documenting disaster impacts to support presidential declaration requests.

Describes the scope of Stafford Act emergency assistance and declaration considerations for domestic infectious-disease incidents in coordination with health authorities.

Describes notices, corrective action, deobligation, debt recovery, appeal rights, and collection limits for specified improper-payment audit findings.

Explains how FEMA obligates project funding in line with an applicant's schedule for completing eligible work.

Explains the capabilities, agreements, processes, staffing, and oversight needed for recipients to perform designated PA grant-delivery functions.

Summarizes DRRA changes to management-cost definitions, recipient and subrecipient limits, and the elimination of prior caps and lock-in procedures.

Defines documentation, tracking, verification, and processing procedures for recipient and subrecipient PA management-cost claims.

Provides FEMA staff methods for representative sampling of supporting records and damaged sites, including handling deviations and documenting the review.

Explains the prudent-person test and factors FEMA considers when reviewing cost reasonableness and applicant-provided estimates.

Introduces PA Section 406 mitigation funding, including mitigation proposals, cost-effectiveness review, and examples of measures protecting damaged facilities.

Describes potentially eligible evacuation and sheltering activities when FEMA authorizes Category B mass-care support under an emergency declaration.

Explains environmental and historic preservation review for debris operations, including compliance obligations that remain despite statutory NEPA exclusions.

Guides applicants and recipients in monitoring debris operations and documenting necessary work, quantities, eligibility, and reasonable monitoring costs.

Explains debris clearance, removal, recycling, disposal, private and commercial property issues, duplication of benefits, and environmental compliance.

Summarizes Category A debris eligibility and considerations for hazardous vegetation, private property, and commercial property debris removal.

Explains nonprofit applicant and facility eligibility, including critical services, essential social services, houses of worship, mixed-use facilities, and for-profit limitations.

Explains how applicants request advance PA funding for estimated emergency work, including debris removal and emergency protective measures.

Summarizes CBCA arbitration eligibility, filing deadlines, and the relationship between arbitration and the first-level PA appeal process.

Summarizes the two-level PA appeal process, determination notices, filing deadlines, required appeal content, review steps, and final agency decisions.

Summarizes core PA eligibility, cost eligibility, project thresholds, federal cost sharing, and permanent-work alternative procedures.

Establishes the post-July 1, 2022 sheltering approach and flexibilities for non-congregate sheltering settings under PA and FMAG declarations.

Provides wildfire-specific flexibility for debris removal, demolition, and related response and recovery work under federal disaster declarations.

Allows higher-level summaries for management-cost force account labor and equipment while retaining reimbursement based on actual eligible costs.

Announces additional simplification measures addressing power restoration, repair-versus-replacement determinations, hazardous vegetation documentation, and other PA delivery requirements.

Announces near-term measures to simplify PA delivery, improve coordination, gather applicant feedback, and reduce administrative burdens.

Explains federal procurement standards under FEMA awards, with entity-specific requirements, procurement procedures, contract provisions, and compliance checklists.

Establishes fiscal and administrative standards for FEMA mission assignments, from development and approval through execution, reimbursement, and closeout.

Explains eligibility, assessment timing, documentation, and reporting requirements for flood-damaged roads, including submerged gravel roads and closed-basin flooding.

Defines how FEMA applies consensus-based design, construction, and maintenance standards to repair or replace disaster-damaged facilities and components.

Sets streamlined application, certification, estimating, and funding requirements for small PA projects under Stafford Act Section 422.

Defines requirements for appealing PA determinations and requesting Stafford Act Section 423 arbitration, including submission procedures and applicable declaration dates.

Implements the DRRA framework for PA management costs, including indirect and direct administrative costs and recipient and subrecipient reimbursement limits.

Explains when Section 705 limits FEMA recovery of PA payments to governmental recipients and subrecipients, including applicable exceptions and finality considerations.

Explains insurance reductions, duplication of benefits, and requirements to obtain and maintain coverage for facilities receiving Public Assistance.

Consolidates PA eligibility, eligible work and costs, funding, environmental review, insurance, grant administration, and closeout requirements throughout the recovery process.